Anna Jarvis, the woman behind Mother's Day, the holiday that inspired Dodd, began her national crusade for the women's holiday in 1907. Her portrait is pictured on the right, at the International Mother's Day Shrine in Grafton, W.Va., in 2008. Cindi Mason, left, was the director. PR Newswire

Moved by Jarvis' struggle to promote Mother's Day, Dodd embarked on a rigorous campaign to honor fathers. One of the first Father's Day celebrations was held in 1910. Dodd died at age 96 and a monument at Riverfront Park in Spokane, Wash., was constructed in her honor. Jeff T. Green, AP

Dodd may be credited as the founder of Father's Day, but the town of Fairmont, W.Va., claims to have hosted the first Father's Day celebration. The town honored fathers during a memorial service for more than 360 men killed on July 5, 1908, in the worst coal mining disaster in U.S. history. Denny Gainer, USA TODAY

President Calvin Coolidge, pictured in an oil painting by Guido Boerthe, was the only president to be sworn in by his father. He recommended in 1924 that Father's Day be observed by the nation, but stopped short of issuing a national proclamation. J. Scott Applewhite, AP

In 1926, the National Father's Day Committee met for the first time in New York City, and they're still going strong. More than 70 years later, the committee presented racing champ Mario Andretti, left, with a "Father of the Year'' award in 1997. File photo by Marty Lederhandler, AP

Despite the resolution, the holiday was still not taken seriously, according to the Smithsonian. In 1957, Maine Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, pictured here in 1964, wrote a letter to Congress saying that America should "honor both our parents, mother and father, or let us desist from honoring either one." AP file photo

Soon thereafter, in 1972, President Richard Nixon signed the day into a national holiday to be observed every year on the third Sunday of June, just weeks after Mother's Day, which is held in May. AP file photo

In 2011, consumer trends by the NRF showed Father's Day spending reaching more than $11 billion, with Americans shelling out an average of $106.49 for dear old dad. That same year, President Obama spent his Father's Day visiting the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral with family. Charles Dharapak, AP

Today, Father's Day is celebrated all over the world. In Germany, for instance, it is tradition for groups of men to get together for a hiking tour accompanied with small wagons filled with beer and food. Peter Kneffel, AFP/Getty Images

Father's Day means many things. Pathetic ties. Neon-green sweaters that sag in all the wrong spots. And, increasingly, for brands looking for a larger share of stomachs: free eats for Dad.

Some familiar restaurant brands, including Shoney's, TCBY, Spaghetti Warehouse, Buca di Beppo and Hooters, will be doling out free food around Father's Day, hoping that no-cost or low-cost meals in a tough economy will lure guests who might not otherwise walk in the door. Unlike some other annual celebrations, notably, Veteran's Day and Mother's Day, when free food offerings have become annual rituals, Father's Day is just beginning to emerge as an excuse by food purveyors to induce frugal consumers to spend the holiday with them.

The problem: Father's Day isn't traditionally a big day for the restaurant industry, when many dads would rather be flipping burgers on the grill. "Mother's Day is often positioned as a splurge day, but, for some reason, children are not expected to treat their fathers on Father's Day," says marketing consultant Tracey Riese.

Marketers are baiting the hook with free food. "Any traffic on a non-restaurant day – in their minds – is a good marketing strategy," says Warren Sackler, assistant professor of hospitality management at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Retailers generally begin the offerings this weekend – most on Father's Day itself, but some are extending it to a day before or after. Here are some freebies up for grabs this Father's Day (check brand sites for specific details, some of which require downloaded coupons):

• Spaghetti. For the third year in row, Spaghetti Warehouse offers free spaghetti or lasagna entrees (with soup and salad) to dads who bring in downloaded coupons from the chain's website on Father's Day. Last year, the 16-unit chain handed out 6,000 free entrees, says marketing director Kathy Wan.

• Fudge cake. Shoney's is giving dads its best-selling dessert, Hot Fudge Cake, with entrée purchases. "This day is about dads, not us," says CEO David Davoudpour. "We'd either sell thousands of give away thousands. We decided to do the right thing for dads on their special day."

• Yogurt cup. Dads get free, six-ounce cups -- and at some stores, cones -- of TCBY frozen yogurt. Many associate frozen yogurt more with female customers, so TCBY is reaching out to dads on Father's Day, says Dustin Finkel, senior director at Famous Brands, which owns TCBY.

• Chicken wings. Dads who purchase 10 chicken wings at Hooters on Father's Day will get 10 free. Last year, some 20,000 dads came in for the Father's Day deal, says Dave Henninger, marketing chief. "It gives infrequent guests a reason to come back and join us," he says.